Forgotten Mets players on Opening Day rosters

Some Hall of Fame players made the final stops of their careers in Queens

3/31/2021, 5:00 PM

Sam Evers

SNY Contributor

Danny Abriano

Manager of Editorial Production

Here are some players who once randomly, improbably, found themselves on the Mets' Opening Day roster.

Most of these players actually appeared in the Opening Day lineup...

Eric Valent, 2005

Tucked in right field on Opening Day as Pedro Martinez took the mound to make his Mets debut in Cincinnati against the Reds (as Carlos Beltran debuted as well) was Valent, who hit for the cycle against the Expos in Montreal in 2004 but retired from baseball after 2005.

Chan Ho Park, 2007

Park had a successful career in MLB, but his time with the Mets was Moonlight Graham-esque. He wound up on the Opening Day roster, pitched one game, gave up seven runs, and got sent down to the minors, never to play for the Mets again.

Gary Matthews Jr., 2010

The one-year wonder and owner of one of the all-time great plays by an outfielder finished his career as an Opening Day member of the Mets in 2010. He ended up playing only 35 games and hitting .190 in that span, which led to his release in June.

May 30, 2010; Milwaukee, WI, USA; New York Mets center fielder Gary Matthews Jr. (19) looks on during batting practice prior to the game against the Milwaukee Brewers at Miller Park. The Mets defeated the Brewers 10-4. / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Brad Emaus, 2011

The Mets had high hopes for Emaus after taking him in the Rule 5 draft, but the second baseman played only 14 career games in the majors (all coming in 2011 with the Mets) before he was DFA'd.

Collin Cowgill, 2013

Shortly before Opening Day, Mets beat writer Adam Rubin tweeted that Cowgill would be the Mets' center fielder. Full time. No platoon. And most fans were thrilled after coming to love the fiery Cowgill. He hit a grand slam on Opening Day at Citi Field, but his Mets tenure lasted just 23 games.

Andrew Brown, 2014

Perhaps one of the most random players to ever be in the Mets' Opening Day lineup, Brown played 68 games for New York in 2013 and actually mashed seven homers. But he played just 19 games in 2014 before his Mets career -- and his MLB career -- ended.

Adrian Gonzalez, 2018

The Mets gave the six-time All-Star his final shot in the majors in 2018 to below average results. In 187 plate appearances, he hit .237 with a .672 OPS and six home runs, leading to his release in June.